The Capital Region Has a New Alternative Weekly Paper

When Metroland folded in 2015 due to back taxes many were sad to see the popular alternative arts and entertainment publication go. Now, someone has stepped up to fill that void, with a new alternative weekly paper.

The Alt is an art-focused alternative newsweekly with new editions now coming out every Tuesday. The paper has an initial print run of 25,000 copies with circulation all over the Capital Region.

There are currently four writers on staff, in addition to freelance contributors, with each one concentrating on a particular city in the area: Albany, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, and Troy.

This new venture is made possible by The Daily Gazette, Proctors Theatre, and an advertising agency called Overit. The initial start up cost was $400,000, with The Gazette contributing 40% and Proctors and Overit putting up the rest.

The Gazette is managing printing and distribution, Proctors is offering office space and limited design services of their creative director Richard Lovrich, and Overit is in charge of the website and the video and multimedia aspects.

“We hope to write stories that other people aren’t writing, and write them in a way that people want to read,” David King, Editor and Associate Publisher of The Alt, told The Daily Gazette.

Although The Alt is replacing Metroland, King is aiming to differentiate the publication from not just others in the area, but its predecessor as well. The website element of The Alt is expected to bring it a step up from Metroland, with readers commenting on stories and interacting with one another in addition to picking up the print copy.

A few of the recent stories in The Alt include a guide on graphic novel recommendations, an interview with British musician Lapalux, and a piece on why the fight against crude oil consequences in Albany is not as aggressive as it seems – right away we can see how The Alt is setting itself apart from other Albany area publications.

If you’re looking to pick up a copy of The Alt, you can find a list of locations where the alternative newsweekly is distributed on their website.